Friday, January 1, 2010

The other car I managed to drive was the Nissan Sylphy 2.0. First impression of the car is that it's kinda roundish. And the rear end still kinda looks odd to me. The front end is nice, and so is the side profile. FYI, there's also a 1.5L unit sold in Singapore, but here, we only have the 2.0L version.

Front end of the Sylphy.The front end of the Sylphy cannot be said as aggressive, as this car is not a young punk's type of car. I'd say the design slants more towards older customers. The foglight is standard.

Rear end of the SylphyThe side profile and rear end has a black lower part for the car, which gives an impression that the car is longer. The exhaust is hidden. 2 reverse sensors come standard.

The wheel(s)

The first thing I noticed is the "slightly" undersized wheels. The rims are 15", and IMO, it's 2" too small. To me, 17' would be just nice for the Sylphy. Anyhow, it does offer almost-excellent ride comfort. The other thing is that the rear brakes are not disc brakes, but rather drum brakes. I was like, wtf? Rear drum brakes on a 2.0L car? What is Edaran Tan Chong thinking??

Front Indicator(s)This little ingenious fella can help the driver to estimate where the front end of the car is, and it also looks kinda cool.

Meter Cluster @ Day time

Meter Cluster @ Night

The meters are simple and nice. Not overly fancy at all. At night, it's not glaring, and it's also very sharp. Well, it may not be Optitron level, but that's good enough.Center ConsoleThe Sylphy here, has a nicely designed center console. The 2-din HU is decent. Sound quality is good, provided the source is good. The HU is Nissan's own unit, so there's nothing too fancy, and swapping it for a better unit is possible, due to the standard 2-din mounting. The Sylphy is also one of the uncommon CKD cars that offers a heater in the car. Why a heater in such a hot climate you ask? Simple, rainy and nights. Those two can freeze your fingers and those behind. So having a heater is actually a good thing. The aircon's strength is nice and strong, and it's also not noisy at all.The gear leverThe Sylphy comes with a CVT transmission, and thus does not have a fixed 3-2-L. And the wood grain design throughout the car looks really fake.PedalsNope, no aluminum plated ones, as this is not a youngster's car. The left most pedal is the footbrake, same like how most Mercs have it. It might get some time getting used to, as you will be finding high and low for the handbrake.The Engine BayHere lies Nissan's MR20DE powerplant. The engine is mated with a CVT transmission, which provides very smooth operations. The think paddings around the engine bay keep the NVH levels at a minimum.

So What Do I Think About the Sylphy?Well, to be frank, I am somewhat satisfied with this car. The ride comfort is almost perfect, and the low noise levels means that cruising on highways won't be a noisy affair. The rear legroom is also very generous. As for driveabilty, I must say this car may not be a drivers' car, but this still can impress. The steering, for example, is variable weighted. This means that the weight of the steering changes according to the speed. For example, when maneuvering in a tight car park, it'll be light, and then cruising on the highway, it'll be nice and heavy. then the power delivery is very smooth and constant. There's no jerk where the car changes gear, which ensures a smooth drive. While cruising in trunk roads at 110km/h, other than looking at the speedo, there's no way of telling that you're going at 110, as the noise level is very low, and the car is very composed at high speeds. Body roll is also kept at a minimum, but the ride is still nice and comfortable. The comfort may also be due to the 195/65 tires. While driving with 5 people in the car, it still has enough grunt to keep going without revving too hard. My verdict is - The Sylphy is a very easy car to drive. Good alternative to the Civic. Generous rear legroom. Comfortable ride. Enough power.

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A tech fumbler, diecast collector, plastic car modeler, system admin, beta tester, car freak and a tech reviewer. And oh yeah, I'm currently pursuing my Degree in Business Information Systems. Currently year 1 still. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately, depends), I'm still a single. And yep, very much available too!